Gorgeous Graphite Drawings That Look Like Black and White Photos

A pack of wild ponies swims across a stream. A tiny boat navigates to give viewers a closer look at Niagara Falls. A pair of shark fins slice through the water. A firework explodes in a pitch black sky. These graphite on paper drawings by Los Angeles-based artist (and former Shepard Fairey employee) Marissa Textor made us do a double-take. It’s not just her dramatic subject matter that we find interesting — it’s the fact that her work is photorealistic without feeling gimmicky. “When I’m deciding what to draw for the larger pieces it is usually based on a current fascination that I’ve spent a lot of time researching,” she explained to Fecal Face last year. “I pull a lot of photos and create folders for each subject and then it becomes a matter of piecing different elements together to create the image.” Click through for a slide show of some of our favorite pieces.